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Machiavelli's Lawn: The Great Writers' Garden Companion
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Product Description
Review
'Erudite and enjoyable prose, no less rewarding for its horticultural accuracy ... A little ge(r)m of postmodern humour' --Times Literary Supplement
`Mark Crick's new parodies continues his winning line in household hints from literary bigwigs'
--Herald
`Mark Crick's new parodies continues his winning line in household hints from literary bigwigs'
--Herald
Product Description
12 great authors offer their top tips on gardening, from Sylvia Plath's struggles with autumn bulbs, to JD Salinger's helpful hints on growing from seed. In Cormac McCarthy's hands a landowner's trip to the potting shed becomes a right of passage from which he will return transformed. Zola's striking miner finds life on the allotment more brutal and short than anything he imagined at the coal face. And Wodehouse's hero, anticipating a visit from his aunt, realises that the right choice of houseplant may well save him from the ignominy of marriage. Inspired, botanically-accurate, and utterly hilarious, "Machiavelli's Lawn" will appeal to green-fingered book lovers everywhere.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover
As the other review says, this isn't really a gardening book, but gardening advice in the style of famous authors. Which, as long as you know the author's style, is quite funny.
So Machiavelli talks of how a wise Gardener knows it is not prudent to cut back his lawn too harshly, thus stifling growth, nor too infrequently, thus inviting disorder and rebellious tussocks, and there's a moving description on Caring For Heather, once the delight of the seafront amusements, and now sadly confined to a windowsill in a nursing home by Alan Bennett.
I quite liked those. On the other hand, the section on Growing Potatoes with Berthold Brecht didn't really do it for me: a sergeant comes and digs up an old woman's garden so he can get potatoes to feed the army. Hmm.
I suspect this would suit people who are both keen gardeners and amazingly widely read, because if you don't know the style getting copied, it falls rather flat. I'm not certain that's a large market, but I guess it's out there...
So Machiavelli talks of how a wise Gardener knows it is not prudent to cut back his lawn too harshly, thus stifling growth, nor too infrequently, thus inviting disorder and rebellious tussocks, and there's a moving description on Caring For Heather, once the delight of the seafront amusements, and now sadly confined to a windowsill in a nursing home by Alan Bennett.
I quite liked those. On the other hand, the section on Growing Potatoes with Berthold Brecht didn't really do it for me: a sergeant comes and digs up an old woman's garden so he can get potatoes to feed the army. Hmm.
I suspect this would suit people who are both keen gardeners and amazingly widely read, because if you don't know the style getting copied, it falls rather flat. I'm not certain that's a large market, but I guess it's out there...
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
We are great garden lovers, and both well read, especially hubby. So when I saw this I thought it would be right up his street.
Normally, if he doesn't like a gift, he'll very tactfully say nothing.
On this occasion, I fear he did.
Not only was he so depressed by it, he advised me not to waste time trying it, as reading it was like pulling teeth!
For other garden lovers, this is NOT a gardening book. If you read the description carefully you'll notice that it is the author's parody of other great authors: would that I had read it carefully!
I see it's got great reviews from the Times etc., so perhaps suitable for a certain type of reader but not garden lovers in general.
Normally, if he doesn't like a gift, he'll very tactfully say nothing.
On this occasion, I fear he did.
Not only was he so depressed by it, he advised me not to waste time trying it, as reading it was like pulling teeth!
For other garden lovers, this is NOT a gardening book. If you read the description carefully you'll notice that it is the author's parody of other great authors: would that I had read it carefully!
I see it's got great reviews from the Times etc., so perhaps suitable for a certain type of reader but not garden lovers in general.
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